The Boy with Magic in His Eyes
by Hair-Metal-Angel
Summary: Joe accidentally warps himself to an unknown place and gets into trouble while trying to find The Book. A mysterious person grows fond of Joe after following him around, and when they hear that Joe will leave soon after getting The Book, the person plans to stop him from leaving.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Here's the story I've been planning do do for a while now. Updates will be slow thanks to my life, but I'm having a lot of fun working on **_**The Boy with Magic in His Eyes**_**. **

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><p><span><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

_The Book _was notorious for warping people at the wrong place, at the wrong time. Joe knew those moments all too well. It was three years after Joe received his Time Page status, and after that happened, _The Book _entered in a state of dormancy of some sort. No green mist, no near-death experiences, and no crazy uncles trying to kill their nieces and nephews and great-grandchildren over a magical book. To be honest, Joe didn't mind. He could finally be a regular kid again and hang out with his friends. Now and again, Jodie, Samantha and Freddi would show up and all six of them would talk with each other, but that was it.

So, how could studying for a test cause _The Book _to activate and warp him to a remote jungle area? Joe picked himself up and brushed out the leaves in his hair and clothes, muttering under his breath. The sun was beating down on him and the humidity made his clothes stick uncomfortably to his skin. He hated that book, he really did.

"_Where am I?"_ Joe looked around and was taken aback by the beautiful, lush greenery that spread out before him. The plants and flowers were unlike anything he seen before.

He reached down to touch a bush with large, wispy burgundy flower pedals. To Joe's amazement, the bush giggled as if he were tickling it. It hopped away from Joe and left behind a powdery substance that stuck to his fingers.

He sniffed his hand and regretted touching the plant. "Ew, gross! That's the last time I'll touch a bush that giggles."

He stumbled out from the jungle and found himself standing in front of a dirt road. Some people were outside doing their business, and they all wore neutral colors, like brown, white, and black clothing.

"Young man, watch where you're going, you were about to step on a creeper!" A man's voice behind him called out.

Joe turned around and sure enough, he saw a small plant with large thorny vines and an equality large mouth with sharp teeth, waiting for Joe to make one wrong move. The man jumped off the cart and pulled Joe away from being injured.

"Thank goodness you're alright, do you know where you're going?"

"Me?" Joe asked. "I'm not really sure…"

"Are you lost?" The man asked Joe. He had dark brown skin with light blue twisted designs on his right arm. He was dressed in a bright red robe-like tunic and black tights.

"I guess… I don't know where I landed." Joe said, petting the creature.

The horse-like creature "harrumphs" at Joe and moved away from his touch. The man chuckled. "Don't worry, the Lanu is a temperamental type of breed, but they know when to work enough."

"I'm Joe by the way," Joe held his hand out to him. The man looked at his powdery fingers and grimaced.

Joe immediately dropped his hand in embarrassment. "Oh, sorry about that… I didn't know that plant could leave pollen on my fingers."

"The native Gigglebush can do that. Between you and me I made that mistake too when I first arrived to Ryn."

"What's Ryn?" Joe's eyebrow arched up.

"Right here," The man answered. "This is the magical land Ryn, under the rule of the crown leader, King Cepheus. My name is Phoebus, and I'm from New Gaul."

Joe's jaw dropped. No wonder why this land seemed so odd! _The Book _hand warped him to an unknown magical land that he didn't even know existed. The Gigglebush, the weird names, the floating horse-like creature… it all made sense! If _The Book _could warp Joe here, he should be able to find it and warp back.

"_It's not that different," _He assured himself. _"Treat it like any other warp, get _The Book_ and warp out of here…" _

"Hey, Phoebus? You wouldn't happen to have a Blue book, would you… with squiggles? I lost it on my way here and I need it back right away." Joe asked him.

"I've seen many blue books, and many books with squiggles, but I don't have one." Phoebus snapped his fingers. "Tell you what, I'll take you into town and you can go ahead and search the marketplace for it. I have to meet up with clients and deliver them the imported goods they asked for."

"That sounds great, thank you so much!" Joe hopped into the cart and Phoebus took a hold of the reigns.

"No worries, young Joe! I was once like you before meeting my mentor; he taught me the skills to be a merchant." Phoebus beckoned his Lanu to "giddy-up" and it took off.

Joe laid back into the cart, watching Phoebus point out different places and learning more about this strange land. But Joe knew that the sooner he found _The Book _the sooner he could go home. After almost being creeper-bait, he found it necessary to make sure he warped with all of his limbs intact.

"_Besides, what _could _go wrong?"_ Joe thought to himself.

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><p><strong>AN: The story starts off slow, but it will pick up... a review and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated! **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This is where the story starts to pick up; I know that my writing has seemed to decline, but I'd rather have mediocre writing instead of no writing any day. The first chapter was more explanatory and setting-based. **

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><p><span><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

A few minutes later, Joe and Phoebus made it to the city. Two guards on duty stopped them and inspected everything before letting them through the gates. Joe made sure to keep quiet long enough until Phoebus was out of earshot from the guards.

"I remember an old man who happens to run a market stand filled with books. You can start there while I go ahead and deliver the goods." Phoebus dug into his belt and handed Joe a small red, velvet bag. "That should be enough to buy your book."

At last, he saw the marketplace. Rows of colorful tents placed side-by-side next to the aromatic smells coming from the food stands and groups of people buying goods. Phoebus stopped the cart and got off in front of a stand selling clothes. A large, lizard man came out to greet Phoebus. He shook his hand and flicked his tongue back and forth.

"He's a boy I found wandering outside of the city…" Phoebus laughed. The lizard man flicked his tongue again.

"Fine, I'll tell Joe about it. He won't get into trouble… now; here are the ten crates of timber you asked for, pure twilight oak!" Phoebus directed the lizard man to the cart and he got ready to take it down.

Phoebus faced Joe and put a hand on his shoulder. "You'll have to excuse that, Lagartijo only speaks lizard. He wanted to tell you was to be careful around the beggars. Some of them can be deceptive!"

"Thanks for the advice, Phoebus. If you'll excuse me, I have a book to find." Joe stopped before he could leave.

"Um… do you know where that book stand is at?"

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><p><strong>A Few Hours Later…<strong>

Joe searched for The Book without much luck at the first store. The old man gave him directions to another book stand, but when Joe got there, the owner closed the store to take a lunch break. After wandering around for hours, Joe felt tired, thirsty, and hungry.

Joe saw people gather around at a group of three street performers doing a small dance number. A girl with long, light green hair played a wind instrument while a man and a woman were doing a dance with lots of jumps, twists and turns. The beat was catchy and Joe soon found himself enjoying every single second of it.

"The girl can really play that instrument!" Joe heard someone say.

"Yes, it's hard to believe she's blind!" Her friend responded.

Joe placed a gold piece inside a light blue bag. "May good fortune shine upon you." The man's smile showed several missing teeth.

Joe tied his cloth bag up and pondered on what to do next. He could get something to eat and then go back to searching for _The Book_, but Phoebus might be waiting for him to come back. The next thing he knew, Joe was sprawled on the ground with somebody else's weight on top of him.

"Please excuse me, sir… I didn't watch where I was going…" The voice was female, no doubt.

She grabbed Joe by the wrists and pulled him on his feet. She dusted his shoulders and checked his arms for any bruises. Joe was finally able to get a good look at her. He couldn't make out any distinctive physical features other than the fact that she wore a long dress with sleeves that covered her hands and a hood that covered most of her face.

The dress the girl wore looked worn out, tattered in some places, she walked barefoot, her feet muddy, and she kept her eyes downward. She looked as if she was living on the streets for a while along with the other three performers. Joe instantly felt bad for her, strange yes, but he couldn't understand what it must be like living in the streets.

"Your clothes look strange and so is your accent, are you from New Gaul, Hispania Coast?" She asked him.

"No, I'm from Brooklyn." Joe replied.

"Hmm… I never heard of a place called Brooklyn. Welcome to Ryn… um…" She paused.

"Joe," He said. "My name is Joe. What's your name?"

"Many beggars are careful to reveal their true identity, but you can call me Femi." Femi started to walk and Joe followed after her.

"Do you know Ryn well?"

"A little bit, I can show you 'round if you'd like." Femi offered. Joe nodded and she took it as a 'yes'.

Joe's stomach growled loudly. Femi giggled, "Hungry?"

"Yeah," Joe blushed. "You know any places to get a quick bite to eat?"

"Absolutely, this way."

Femi took Joe to a food stand and he found himself a place to eat. She helped him order some native Ryn food and showed him how to mix his own drink the way the people do. The food he ordered was a really large platter filled with what Joe could describe as barbequed chicken, only spicier and sweeter than normal. Femi sat back and watched him eat his meal. Joe looked up and scrunched his face in confusion.

"Aren't you hungry too?"

"Well, um…" Femi sounded embarrassed. "I just think that you should eat first, don't worry about me."

"Here." Joe passed her the platter half-full. "I'm already stuffed, it's delicious."

In an instant, Femi attacked the whole thing as if she hadn't eaten in days. Femi hiccuped and put her hands to her face. "Excuse me."

She folded her arms over the table. "Where else do you want to go, we still have some time before the sun goes down."

"Does Ryn have a special type of way to buy things at a market? You know, like bartering or trading?" Joe asked.

"Better yet, I'll show you."

Femi snapped her fingers and a waitress came with the bill. Joe paid for the food and Femi took Joe to a small jewelry stand. The stand wasn't as well decorated as the other ones, but they sold very pretty trinkets. Joe saw two men busy at work making a small, silver bracelet. One of the men hunched over and used a thin utensil to draw design patterns. He sprinkled some gold dust over it and placed the finished product for sale. Joe picked it up and held it out to Femi. She giggled and put it back.

"It's pretty, but I wouldn't buy it."

"I like the rose designs, I think it suits you." Joe inspected it again.

"I have no need for jewelry. If I really wanted something, I would buy sandals."

"I think I saw somebody selling sandals back at the place where you bumped into me. Do you how much they cost?" Joe reached for his bag, and was stopped by Femi.

"No! I mean- I couldn't ask for you to buy them."

"Walking around barefoot can lead to sickness, and I wouldn't want you to catch anything." He said.

Femi shook her head. "That's asking for too much! I don't need them that badly…"

"Why not?" Joe's eyebrows rose in question.

"Um…" There was a loud crash and the sound of people screaming and running away cut Femi off.

"Really? Cam, start packing up, she's at it again!" The man groaned. The other one quickly rushed out to collect the jewelry that was on display and took them back inside.

"What's going on?" Joe caught Femi trying to sneak away. "Femi!"

"Let's be smart and leave this place, I wouldn't want to get involved." Joe nodded in agreement and quickly followed Femi. They didn't get too far before Joe saw a familiar head of light green hair a few feet away from them. Femi grabbed Joe by the arm and the ducked behind a large barrel of water. The blind girl who played the wind instrument stood over her co-workers, who were cowering in fear, her nails extended outward.

"You better say who took it, or you'll be the one needing a new pair of legs!" She snarled ferociously.

Femi mouthed '_Now!' _and both of them bolted out. The man saw Joe and Femi and pointed to them. In a flash, red electricity shot out and hit Femi on the arm. She screamed in pain and fell to her knees. The green-haired girl dropped the man and eyed Femi murderously.

"How could I have been so stupid…? It was you all along." The girl said, sauntering towards Femi.

The blind girl held her hand out towards them. Joe saw how pointy and long her nails were and gulped nervously.

"Femi, you have something that belongs to me…"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Femi stuttered.

The girl's hands balled up into fists. "I'm blind Femi, not stupid! Hand over the money, because if you don't…"

Red electricity cackled around her fingertips, she aimed for a large, wide tree and her nails ran through the trunk like a hot knife on butter. The tree fell over, shredded like ribbons. Femi cowered back in fear, gripping Joe's arm tightly.

"I'll make you rue the day you decided to steal from me, Femi!"

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><p><strong>AN: There's the second chapter, ****know it seems a bit rushed, but I didn't expect the chapter to be this long. ****Remember, a review and a favorite is appreciated. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

An inhumane shriek erupted from the blind girl's mouth as she lunged towards Joe and Femi. Joe sprang into action and shoved an unresponsive Femi out of the way. Her attack missed the two and blew a hole into a building.

She pointed her finger at no one in particular, but Joe knew she walk talking about him. "You stay out of this, or you will die as well!"

"Femi had nothing to do with the loss of your money; you can't just go around attacking everyone like a savage animal!" said Joe.

'**If only you stayed away from her…'**

"Leave this between Femi and I, I know you have nothing to do with this!" The blind girl had on the same tattered robes like Femi, but the outfit showed the scars on her arms and legs, her trailing skirt had a long slit up the right side. She tied a sash around her waist and carried a dagger with her.

"Then you'll have to go through me too!" Joe crossed his arms over his chest, blocking her from getting a good shot at Femi.

She let out a screeching yell and a red aurora formed around her body. "You meddling runt, how dare you get involved in MY fights!"

"Don't look into her eyes!" Femi got up and ran towards Joe.

Before Joe could understand what Femi meant by that statement, a wave of fog covered Femi, the people surrounding them and the marketplace altogether. He found himself alone, in an area full of thick, grey fog. He spotted the green-haired girl standing in front of him with a creepy smile on her face. Instead of her regular, milky green eyes, they glowed red.

"You might wonder what you are doing here…" Her tone took a more affable approach. "I'll explain; the lack of sight hasn't done much to hinder me… instead I figured out how to see you, and that's because I see your Aura!"

She spread her arms out wide before her. "Welcome to The Land of the Illusions; guaranteed to blow your cover and get killed in the process!"

Joe protested, but found himself unable to speak; in fact, he hovered above her with magical rings wrapped around his body. Horrified, Joe saw the blind girl getting ready to attack. She moved her hands slowly and fluidly, creating a rough outline of a serpent. The serpent coiled up and ready to attack.

"Serpent's Wrath!"

It bared its fangs and screeched towards its next victim. Joe shut his eyes and waited for the serpent to skin its fangs into his neck and kill him.

'**I won't let her kill you, Joe!'**

He opened his eye a little to see a girl wearing a white, decorative mask come out of the fog with a large rock in her hand. She swung the rock and a cry of pain echoed throughout the place. The serpent fell to the ground, hissing in pain. Sparks flared out of its body and it dissolved in a flash of bright light. Joe fell to the ground and found himself back in Ryn. Femi rushed to Joe and hugged him tightly.

"Joe, I'm so glad you're okay! You looked into her eyes and completely blanked out. You didn't even blink! I went to get help before she pulled out her dagger and killed you." Femi turned her head to see guards rush up to the blind girl and arrest her.

Joe rubbed his head and groaned in pain. "I was in this real foggy place and it just looked so, _real_…"

'**She's not THAT powerful, Joe! She can fight, but not for extended periods of times.'**

"She's excellent in creating illusions, so she uses them as an advantage when she loses energy. When people look into her eyes, she transports the person's soul there and kills them." Femi whispered.

"It was pretty scary; for a moment I thought I was a goner." Joe put his arm over Femi's shoulder and she lifted him up on his feet.

A guard walked up to Joe and Femi; he was a portly man with a thick white mustache and matching silver hair. He wore a fancy uniform and a long coat with the symbol of Ryn on the breast. A soothsayer followed him.

"Are you Joe, from Brooklyn?" The man asked. The soothsayer made his way to check for injuries.

"Yes, this is he." Joe used his best grammar.

"Witnesses tell me that you are the one who got attacked by Anacaona," he said. "As a citizen of Ryn, I'm sorry for what happened."

"No injuries, officer. They're both okay." The soothsayer concluded and put all of his materials back in his bag.

"The real reason why I came to speak with you, is that I want you to press charges on Anacaona."

"Charges?" Joe echoed. He turned around to see the blind girl, now known as Anacaona, being treated by a different soothsayer. She sat there, quiet and obedient; absolutely the opposite from the aggressive and violent person Joe faced moments before.

"Anacaona is 'infamous' here in this part of Ryn… and that's putting it lightly. I'm sure your friend here has told you all about her… _powers…_" he said 'powers' as if it was a bad word. "You might not know this, but Ryn has a law against keeping vagabonds in prison for more than a fortnight. We run a prison, not a shelter."

"Unless we find a criminal offense to attach to their name, people like Anacaona will continue to terrorize the good citizens of Ryn."

Before Joe could say another word, Femi stepped forward to speak. "She said she was going to kill me for stealing her 'money', Joe stepped in to defend me and she came at us."

The officer scribbled down Femi's testimony. "Mm-hmm; attempted murder, aggravated assault, no performing license, disorderly conduct…"

He handed Joe a fountain pen. A scroll magically appeared with fancy writing written in dark blue ink.

"You signature is all we need to but her behind bars…"

"No jury, no court case?" Joe couldn't believe it. Were they really going to throw her into prison that quickly?

The man threw his head back and laughed. "You Brooklyn people are wasting your time with those things!"

'**I don't know what you're so surprised about… she tried to kill you Joe! She needs to rot in jail…' **

"I'm sorry, but it just doesn't seem right for me to throw people into jail without having somebody defend their case." Joe tried to hand the contract back, but the officer shot him a dirty look.

"But she nearly killed you!"

"I'm not signing this…" Joe handed the contract back to the officer. His face clouded with anger.

"Yes you will…" He glowered. The contract in his hands crumpled up in his knuckles.

A guard of lower rank ran up to him. "Officer, Anacaona wants to press charges!"

"For what?"

"Anacaona claims to have been robbed and physically assaulted by that girl." He pointed to Femi. "There's lots of physical evidence to support it, she got hit on the head with a stone."

"Arrest the girl in the hood." The officer said nonchalantly and shoved the contract back into Joe's hands. "Do as I say and sign the contract!"

The guard snuck behind Femi and threw her to the ground trying to force her arms behind her back. Femi screamed and struggled to break free. Joe narrowed his eyes and charged towards the guard. The officer tried to stop Joe, but he tripped and fell over a large stone. When he finally got onto his two feet, he saw Joe and Femi running away from the crime scene. His face turned purple and he roared in rage.

"Don't just stand there you idiots, go get them!"

**Meanwhile…**

Phoebus got out of another shop and saw a man with silver hair and a long coat, jumping around and cursing like a sailor. He walked up to a soothsayer treating a green-haired girl with a head injury.

"Blessed soothsayer, do you know what is going on?" He asked politely.

"There was a huge disturbance here. An officer wanted this traveler to press charges on her." He pointed to the girl, who looked utterly miserable.

"Do you know where he was from?"

"Yeah, he said his name was Joe and he's from Brooklyn… He refused to sign the contract and he ran off with a potential suspect." The soothsayer removed the bloodied rag and handed the girl another clean one.

"And what if he gets his hands on the boy?" He asked carefully.

"Don't know, but considering how furious he is, I wouldn't be surprised if he kills him!"

"_Oh no!" _Phoebus knew that after Ryn adopted a sovereign rule, the police have a history of expanding their privileges while removing the rights from people who couldn't defend themselves. Phoebus quickly took off running in the same direction Joe and Femi went.

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><p><strong>AN: Just to clarify, the words in bold are the thoughts and actions of the person who is "following" Joe. You'll find out who it is in the next few chapters. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

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><p><strong>Joe POV:<strong>

"Femi, slow down!" I yelled after her.

Femi kept running and didn't turn back to look at me. By now, my legs felt as if they were going to give out any minute. Yeah, I would've let Femi run away from the guard, but somehow, I couldn't.

"Femi?"

I looked around the place. There was a large field filled with flowers and tall trees with sweeping leaves, like a canopy. I saw the sun was setting and overhead, the dark blue sky was getting ready to do its job. Someone was crying softly and I instantly knew whom it was. I walked to where the canopy trees stood and sat next to the tree trunk.

"Femi… I know it's you…" I was too chicken to go and comfort her.

"_Just, give her a moment to pull herself together._" I thought. She might want some privacy...

"I'm such a terrible person…" She sniffled. "How could I be so stupid?"

"It's not your fault, that Officer is a huge jerk." I paused for a moment to rephrase my next sentence and said: "I couldn't leave you alone to face that guy; he's power crazy."

Femi was silent for a moment before she spoke again. "I'm so sorry…"

I groaned internally. "You don't need to apologize again, Femi. I already told you why I came after you…" I stuck my hand into a little opening the leaves from the canopy trees created. "I came for you because I care."

"You care about me?" Femi's soft voice asked.

"Yes, absolutely! I really do care about you."

"Do you care enough to get me some water?" Femi handed me a pitcher. "There's a river you passed on your way here."

I took the pitcher, ran to the river and filled it with water. I was careful not to spill any water, but the pitcher was made of such good quality, that it seemed impossible for it to spill without me doing something klutzy. I knelled and handed her the pitcher. (Mind you, she still hasn't let me in her "place")

"Okay, you can come in now…" Femi called.

I was about to ask her how, before seeing her hand reaching out towards me. I grabbed it and she pulled me inside. I found her robe and cloak folded neatly next to the door, and her back facing me. She poured the water into a basin and dipped her feet inside. Grabbing a bar of soap wrapped in wax paper, she started to wash her feet. The sweet aroma of roses filled the place.

"Go pull up a blanket and sit down."

I took a blanket and laid it out before sitting on it. I was amazed to see how beautiful the night sky looked, millions of starts glittered above us. I was nervous, but in a different way. Femi had taken off her cloak to reveal a lithe, tan girl with long, wavy dark hair. She wore a short, flouncy, dark blue dress and quietly hummed a little song. She looked very different wearing that large bulky, cloak. It was such an intimate moment, and I felt as if I was invading her privacy by sitting here and watching her bathe. Maybe I should leave, but that would be rude of me to go without a reason why.

"Is this where you live?" I asked, spotting a bunch of blankets and pillows on the floor.

"Something like that…" She replied. She dried her feet with a towel and put the soap inside the wax paper. "Do you want to sleep next to the window or sleep here?"

"Sleep?"

"Yes. I don't want the guards to catch you, so I think it's better for you to stay the night." She grabbed a brush and started to comb her long, thick hair.

"I thought you were homeless…"

"No, I'm not homeless," She set the brush down. I'm more of a drifter, Joe."

"Why?" What did she mean by "drifter"?

"My life was 'difficult', to say the least." She lit a candle and lowered it inside a lantern. "It seemed that no matter where I go, I wasn't accepted."

"I was found so detestable; the people of my village chased me out. When I tried to find support with my family, they abandoned me. Now, I wander around, trying to find a place in society where I won't be ostracized. I don't mean to sound silly, but you're the first person to treat me as kindly as you did…" She let out a shaky breath, as if she was about to cry again.

I got up and put my hand on her shoulder. Femi grabbed a mask and slipped it on before I could catch a glimpse of her face. She turned around and threw the dirty water in the basin outside. She picked up an ax and her cloak and said she'll be back. My legs ached after I kept walking into trouble one after the other. Here, I felt isolated from my problems, safe at last, so… sleepy…

I don't know how long I slept, but I woke up to Femi shaking me. She quickly re-lit the lantern and leaned so close to me that I could trace the details on her decorative mask.

"Someone's calling for you…" She whispered quietly.

"I don't hear anything…"

"Shh!" Femi silenced me. We sat in the darkness for a bit before I heard a familiar voice.

"Joe!"

Hey, I know that voice!

"I have to go!" I said and pushed the blankets off me. "My friend is outside looking for me."

"Take this." Femi grabbed a large wooded torch and a candle. "It's pitch black outside and please be safe. After what happened today, I hope I never see you in another near-death situation again."

"Phoebus would never try something like that, thanks." I said. For the first time, I stared at her.

"Goodbye." I crawled out of her hiding spot and made my way to find Phoebus.

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><p>The light from the torch grow smaller and smaller until Femi couldn't see it any more. She pulled off her mask and tossed it across the room. From behind her back, she pulled out a light blue bag heavy with gold and smiled. The weight of the bag didn't lie; over 154 pieces, a considerable amount. If it wasn't for Joe's help, that half-breed Anacaona would've probably killed her before she could get away. Exhausted after the unfortunate events that occurred; Femi stashed the gold inside her cloak, blew out the candle and went back to bed.<p>

**"Joe…" I breathed his name.**

**"Joe…" I wrapped my arms around myself. **

**"I can't wait to meet you…"**

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><p><strong>AN: Poor Femi, she never has any luck in life... but, that light blue bag looks pretty familiar, don't you think? **


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Joe POV:**

After trying to search for Phoebus, I found two guards the Officer sent to catch Femi and me. I was able to outrun them before bumping into Phoebus and had to explain everything to him as fast as I could. But it was too late, the Officer came up to me roaring that I will rue the day I disobeyed him. I found myself in handcuffs and taken away while Phoebus pleaded for a court case. As I was lead away, Phoebus swore he'll get me out.

The jail was dingy, damp and depressing. All around me I saw men, women and even kids my age locked up wearing the same uniform (A shapeless knee-length dress for women and a long tunic and pants for men) with different color armbands. I thought I would get a uniform, but they just thrust me into a cell and left me for the night. It was nearly impossible for me to fall asleep, but I started to nod off after a while. Before I could shut my eyes completely, I saw Anacaona looking at me from her cell. I jumped up and hit behind a bench hoping she didn't see me.

"I know it's you, runt! Come out from your hiding place and face me!" She looked less than impressed.

"I prefer to stay here where I know you won't try to kill me again." I replied back.

"Even if I could I'd still get in trouble anyway!" She scowled at me.

I sighed and made my way to her. "They tried to make me file false charges on you, but I refused. Then the Officer captured me and that's why I'm here."

She burst out laughing. "Lemme guess, she rattled you out? Not surprised, that's so like Femi!"

"Wait, you think that Femi got me in prison?" I asked.

She nodded. "I said I won't be surprised if she did land you in prison."

I shook my head at Anacaona's new attempt to con me. "You think she's some sorta thief or expert con-artist-in-hiding and that's why she's hanging around these places? Femi isn't any of those things…"

"Listen, the stuff I know about Femi is stuff I heard on the streets. I'd never get close to her within a five-meter radius, who knows what she'll do to me…"

"Why so much hostility towards Femi, what did she ever do to you?"

Anacaona's smile dropped. I didn't know if she was going to ignore me or slap my senseless. I saw that some strange glowing material that hummed softly bounded up her hands.

"What **didn't **she do to me?" That sentence came out in a low, cold tone. "Femi is an amazing actress and that's all I'm going to tell you. She was the one who stole my money, the money **I worked **for! She started the whole fiasco. "

"Are you forgetting that it was basically YOU who started the fight?" I pointed out. Geez, does she have amnesia or something? "I do remember Femi cowering in fear when you came after her, you're just a liar."

"A liar?" Anacaona's voice whispered.

"I'm a lair?" her voice rose.

"Lemme tell you something," Anacaona's voice grew louder. "I barley came back from the infirmary. You wannna know why… it's because your **friend** bashed a rock over my head not once, but three times! Want evidence…?"

She reached up and tore off the bandages wrapped around her forehead. Pieces of bloody bandages and gauze fell to the ground, the metallic smell of blood hung heavy. A jagged cut ran from the top of the left side of her head near her eye. I tried to look away from it, but I couldn't.

"Here's your evidence! Here's your damn evidence!" She screamed and banged her bounded hands on the floor.

She screamed hysterically and punched the walls screaming: "I'm not a liar, I'm not a liar!" over and over again. The prisoners yelled for security and prison guards and nurses entered her cell. They grabbed her arms and legs to keep her from struggling while the nurses sedated her. They tied her in a straightjacket and put her on a floating stretcher. Anacaona kept talking incoherently, spasms shook through her skinny frame.

"Liar, liar, liar…" She mumbled.

"We should have left her in the psych ward, girl's crazy." One of the guards said walking away.

"Yeah, half-breeds like her are the reason why we need to lock them up. They're dangerous to society." His friend agreed.

I wondered what happened to Anacaona that made her turn out this way. My sight grew dim and I fell into a fitful sleep.

* * *

><p>"Hey kid!" A man's gruff voice echoed in my ears. "Wake up, breakfast is ready!"<p>

I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and shifted my attention to a prison guard with a tray of food. He opened the cell door and handed me my breakfast. He locked me up again and set his keys back on the breakfast cart. I looked at my breakfast and almost gagged from the smell. It smelled like that seal liver I ate while stranded on Antarctica. Moments after breakfast, I saw Phoebus bailing me from prison. He handed two sacks of money to a surprised warden and signed several documents. The prison guard opened the cell door and removed my handcuffs. I was finally free.

"See, I said I would get you out of prison…" Phoebus smiled proudly at himself.

"I still can't believe that I can be arrested over… um… why did they arrest me for?"

"Resisting arrest." Phoebus rolled his eyes.

"Really, that's it?" I got on Phoebus's cart and he climbed up as well. What a bunch of liars…

"No, they also used the 'he attacked an officer' excuse. But they dropped the case after witnesses came up and straightened it out." Phoebus winked at me. "They agreed to let you go in the morning if I paid all of your bail money, but they didn't think I could pay it all…"

"I'm glad it's over," My stomach rumbled. "Excuse me, the breakfast they served was disgusting, so I skipped it."

"Well then, we'll have brunch. I skipped breakfast so I could read and fill out the documents." He steered his cart down the road. "I know an amazing restaurant that serves great food."

My happiness left immediately when I remembered something. I still needed to find _The Book_. "Sounds good, Phoebus but I have to tell you something. After the whole mess I got myself into, I still didn't find my book. I searched everywhere for it and didn't find anything."

"An old friend of mine has returned from traveling and has brought many strange items and rarities… some of them include a blue book with squiggles. I can tell you more when we arrive at our next destination." Phoebus smiled again and handed me a letter. A man named Richard addressed the letter to him.

I smiled; the odds of arriving home to Brooklyn seemed in my favor. Nothing is in my way!

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Joe lands himself in prison and Anacaona makes her last appearance in The Boy with Magic in His Eyes... I know, it's sad to see her go like this. Keep an eye out for the term "half-breed" in the next couple of stories, just saying. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**It's only been a day since I saw you Joe, but I miss you already. Your smile, your tenderness, your freckles, the magic in your green eyes... everything… **

**I pouted. It's not fair; I have to find you again!**

The roads were a bit muddy after a spontaneous drizzle early in the morning, but Femi didn't care. No, she wasn't worried at all. Who had the time to worry when there was so much to do with the new wealth she obtained? First things first, she was in need of a new wardrobe.

Not trying to get captured again by the guards, she left her mask, cloak and robes back at her hiding place and swapped the clothes for a long red skirt with a black bodice and billowy white sleeves. She covered her hair with a sheer white lace veil. Femi inspected herself in the mirror before leaving. She smiled. There was no doubt, with her long, dark wavy hair, full lips, light bronze complexion, the beauty mark below her right eye, and attractive facial features, she was a beautiful girl…

At the marketplace, she took her time searching for clothes. She knew that anything she wore looked good on her anyway, but she could afford to be fussy. Femi was quick to accumulate a pile of potential clothing to buy. The store owner wasted no time in adding up the total cost for everything. Femi ran her fingers through a dress made out of a delicate material. She held it up to the store owner.

"Do you have this in a smaller size?"

"I'll go check, miss!" He said and ran into a room in the back of the shop.

Femi grabbed a pair of fine embroider sandals and added them to the pile just as the store owner arrived with the dress in her size. "I'll take these sandals too."

"Give me a sec to add the total for everything." The store owner snapped his finger and a younger boy, probably his apprentice, finished placing the new purchases into her basket.

"Your total is 100 silver pieces."

Femi handed them each a gold piece and smiled. "You can keep the change; do you know a place to buy cosmetics?"

She smiled internally when she saw their facial expressions when she pulled out the gold. The store owner gave her directions before she left.

"They look like they never seen someone with so much money…" She said to herself.

"Hmph, you would know Femi." Somebody scoffed at her.

Femi whirled around to see Anacaona's two coworkers, a poor woman with her elderly mother and her small daughter and a group of young boys all glaring up at her. Strange, Femi remembered that they used to go and squat of the left wing of the marketplace and there were more beggars than that. A boy with a missing leg picked up his wooden crutch and pointed it at Femi.

"Aren't _you_ having a good ol' time?" He sneered, eying Femi's new clothes. "Throwing your money around like it grew on trees."

"You sure look different Femi, wearing those nice clothes an' such…" Another boy, with long, white dreadlocks spoke. "No one would believe you if you said you used to live on the streets."

"I have a question for you…" The mother of the small child stood up. "How did you earn all of that money? It wasn't too long ago that you came to these parts of town to beg."

"I found some valuable antiques and I made a small fortune on the auction block." Femi lied. "You wouldn't believe how much money they throw for these things!" Femi pretended to search around her basket for an "antique".

"You don't have to show us a damn thing Femi! We know it was you who stole the money… **our **money." Anacaona's male co-worker crossed his arms over her chest. He had bruises all over his face.

Femi put a hand to her chest and blinked innocently. "Me?"

"Do you barley remember when you first arrived to Ryn and we were kind enough to let you in our group? We cared about you!" Anacaona's female co-worker said.

"Not Anacaona…" Femi said angrily. "She never trusted me with anything!"

"Is it really that one sided, as you say?" The old lady said. "I had the idea to raise money for all of us. We don't want the children to wonder when their next meal will be. You agreed to the idea and suggested having someone as the treasurer; you or Anacaona. We all voted and the results were clear, Anacaona would be in charge of all of the money."

Femi rolled her eyes as the old lady continued to blabber on. "No one is perfect Femi and we know that. Anacaona might be a little crazy, but deep down she means well. She looked out for all of us."

"She was waiting to kick me out of the group; she never cared about my safety!"

"You're wrong!" The man yelled. "We caught you trying to take the money the first time. Anacaona was nice enough to overlook that one time! Then you wouldn't stop trying to take the money for yourself! If she needed to kick you out of the group to make sure our savings were safe, then so be it!"

"Now that Anacaona is in jail, we're forced to relocate. The guards pick on us anytime they want because no one else can defend us… but you're doing pretty fine yourself…" The oldest of the bunch glared at her.

"That's what she gets!" Femi spat, her face turning red. "She hates me, she always singled me out and she's mentally insane! You believe Anacaona's lies, it won't help you hide what you are, a bunch of lazy moaners who will forever stay as filthy beggars!"

Furious and insulted, one of the boys picked up a rock and threw it at Femi. It missed her face by an inch. The others were ready to throw their rocks too until the mother stopped them. A pair of guards was making their rounds and was obviously there to hawk at them.

Femi looked and the guards and smiled. "Word of advice… if you're going to throw things at me again, you can expect to find yourselves in the same place your beloved Anacaona is, in prison! Goodbye, I have a lot more shopping to do…"

With that, she put on her biggest fake smile and strutted away.

* * *

><p>"I've only been at Ryn for two days but I'm in love with the food here!" Joe said, after he ate. He sat back and admired the view. Phoebus found them a table on the balcony with the best view.<p>

Phoebus wiped the sauce off his lips with a napkin. "I agree Joe, that's why visiting Ryn is a personal favorite of mine."

"Richard collects strange items and rarities for years now. He made a very comfortable living by selling them." He placed the letter on the table. "On the night you were arrested, I was given two options: pay your bail or stay in jail for five years. I chose the former but I didn't have enough money. I had to ask my friend for the rest of the money…"

"He's not trying to hold _The Book _over our heads for loaning you money, right?" Joe asked Phoebus.

"No, Richard isn't that type of person! He gave me the money without hesitation and asked me why you were in jail. I told him that you were trying to find a strange blue book with silver squiggles and somehow got in trouble." Phoebus opened the letter. "I got the letter this morning before I went to get you. He said that he's having a house party to celebrate your release from jail and give you _The Book _as a gift! Isn't that generous of him?"

"Oh boy is it ever!" Joe grinned. "After all of the trouble I've been through and nearly getting myself killed, I can't wait to get _The Book _and go home… um, no offense."

"None taken…" Phoebus snapped his fingers to get a waiter's attention. "Check please!"

Phoebus turned his attention back to Joe. "Why is this book so important to you?"

"Well… it's a family heirloom!" Joe blurted out. "Yeah, and it's my job to take care of it because my great-grandfather is dying. In Brooklyn traditions, the oldest member of the family must have a page dedicated to them before they pass away."

"It's no wonder why you were looking for the book feverishly, we better leave." Phoebus paid the bill and stood up. "Richard's house is a bit far…"

Joe nodded and followed him out. "_I can't believe it, Brooklyn here I come!" _

"**No…" I whispered, tears forming in my eyes.**

**Did I hear that correctly, my darling Joe is leaving me to go home? I quickly wiped my tears away and paced back and forth. How do I keep Joe from leaving Ryn and stay with me? **

**It's that entire book's fault! It's the reason why Joe came to Ryn in the first place and why he was so obsessed in looking everywhere for it! However, what if he didn't have that book?**

**Quickly and quietly, I followed Joe and his merchant friend in the direction to his friend's house. If I can't change his mind about leaving me, then I'll force him to stay!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: This is the chapter that changes everything... **

* * *

><p><span><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

"… and a toast to Joe," Richard raised his glass to Joe. "Who was released from prison and allowed to live was a free man. Cheers!"

"Cheers!" Everyone clicked glasses together. They went one by one to congratulate Joe and handed him small presents.

Phoebus and Joe arrived early to the party while Richard's sister was in the middle of decorating. Joe offered to help for her, but she refused; Joe was the host and hosts had the honor of welcoming people to the party. Joe didn't need to lift a finger for his party. Richard, seeing how restless Joe looked brought out a chest full of items and souvenirs from his travels to other magical lands. He gave Joe a rundown of his party; it wasn't an overly large one, but Joe will be treated as a king in Ryn traditions. Phoebus joked how the people from Ryn, before their "modernization" period, would celebrate by throwing parties with close friends and relatives and hand out small gifts to each other. If the person receiving the gift didn't like it, they just smiled and said their thanks.

"I must say, you look familiar…" a large woman wearing a bright pink wrap dress handed Joe his gift. "There was a strange man traveling around here a few months ago; poor fella if you ask me. He got in trouble big time with the police here. I told him the police aren't that eager to be used for magic tricks!"

"Magic tricks? Like what types of tricks?" Joe asked the woman. He set his presents down on a gift table.

"He tried to make himself disappear; instead, half of the police department vanished in a cloud of smoke. And he never brought them back!"

Joe cringed; that **had** to be Uncle Joe. No magician would mess up so royally as Uncle Joe by reducing a corrupt police department by fifty percent. But, if Uncle Joe could travel through space and time, he could travel through strange magical lands as well. Phoebus snapped Joe out of his thoughts.

"Joe, it's time for you to receive your present as the guest of honor… Richard?"

"Ah yes, _The Book_! I left _The Book_ in my study. I'll go get it…" Richard set his glass down and went upstairs.

* * *

><p>"<strong>This must be it…" I said in a soft whisper. I opened the door and silently entered the room. It was much larger than I thought, with rows and rows of carefully arranged artifacts, ancient scrolls protected in glass displays, and mannequins donning clothes from different countries. Save for a small dim light sitting on a desk, the room was completely dark.<strong>

**I got to work searching every book in the room and discarding the wrong ones. Joe talked about a book with a blue cover and silver squiggles. I found it! I smiled and took it out of the shelf. No silver squiggles…**

"**Nope…" I tossed the incorrect book away from me and continued my search. **

**The book hit a mannequin with a loud bang. It fell over a sword display with an even louder crash. Oops! I never meant for that to happen… well, let's keep searching. Out of the corner of my eye, I finally found it! The Book was on the desk, propped open and covered with sheets. I shook the papers off The Book when I heard footsteps outside the door. **

"**Who is there?!" Someone called out.**

**The door swung open. **

* * *

><p>"While we're waiting for Richard, it's time for you to open up your gifts." Phoebus pulled Joe a chair and everyone gathered around to watch Joe opened his gifts.<p>

There was a loud thump and an even louder crash from the room above the party den. Everyone looked upstairs in confusion and several people murmured to each other.

Richard's sister blushed from embarrassment. "It must be the mannequins, Richard needs to get them fixed; I'll go and see if he needs any help…" With that she turned and hurried upstairs.

* * *

><p><strong>The man walked up to the mannequin that tipped over. He picked up the sword and looked around the room. I shrank back into the shadows and wait for him to leave. Instead, he pulled the sword out of its leather sheath.<strong>

"**I know you're in here, come out and face me!" **

**I crouched behind a bookshelf, watching him. Stupid idiot, how dare he come up here and muck up my plan? Now I can't leave unnoticed with him here! I felt something smooth and hard within my arm's reach. A vase will have to do. **

**Without hesitation, I sprinted behind him and hit him over the head with it. I tiptoed over the vase shards and hurried to the window. With The Book under my arm, I struggled to open the windows. They were sealed shut. **

"**Richard is everything okay?" A woman's voice called out.**

**The woman entered the room and saw Richard on the ground, bleeding from the head. Our eyes met and she screamed. **

* * *

><p>"Help! Thieves! Murderers, murders!" Richard's sister cried.<p>

Joe, Phoebus and a few others ran upstairs to see what was going on. They found Richard on the ground, unresponsive and his sister screaming bloody murder and pointed at something. A dark shadow rushed past them causing the windows to shatter. A person wearing a long black cloak and hood had _The Book_ in their hands.

"That person has Joe's book!" Phoebus cried out.

The person looked at Joe for a moment, as if they wanted to say something. The men crowded around the thief. The thief crouched down and somersaulted out the window. One of the party guests was much faster and they caught the cloak the thief wore.

"I caught the thief!" He yelled triumphantly and started to pull the thief up by the cloak.

The thief thrashed and struggled to let go. Quickly, they unbuttoned the cloak and tumbled down.

"Wait, he's… I mean… **she's **getting away!" The man held her cloak with disbelief.

"She?" Joe questioned before looking out the window. There, he saw a girl his age running away with _The Book_. Joe was ready to jump put the window and follow in hot pursuit. Phoebus grabbed him by the arm.

"We can't go after her, Joe. She's dangerous… who knows what else she might do!"

Joe couldn't believe it; his luck had taken ANOTHER turn for the worst! Some third-party had stolen _The Book_ while he was thisclose to getting it. Before he could leave, something caught his eye. Laid in-between the window shards; was a familiar white mask…

* * *

><p><strong>How could I have been so careless? Joe was right there, watching me escape with his book! I couldn't negotiate with him as I planned, thanks to Richard! It's not my fault he got between my plan to meet up with Joe… he pulled a sword on me!<strong>

"**You could land Anacaona in jail, yet you couldn't steal a book without blowing your cover? You stupid idiot, Femi!" I said, gripping Joe's book close to my chest.**

**I tripped over a tree root and the book fell out of my hands. To my surprise, green mist poured out of the book and curled around me. I tried to scream, but a curl of mist wrapped around my mouth. In a flash, I was gone.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Fanfiction was acting stupid in the morning, so I had to wait before updating my fanfic. **

* * *

><p><span><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

The large canopy leaves on the trees stood still, going hand in hand with the eerie silence of the night. In a flash of green mist, Femi landed on her two feet with The Book in her hands.

"An hour ago, I had no idea of what type of power this book held…"

She dragged her index finger over The Book; it glowed slightly and when she opened it there were pages of information and maps of magic around the space-time continuum. Over the course of an hour, Femi had travel to five different magical worlds, obtained a chest full of magical books and artifacts (all placed inside her secret hiding place), and how to use The Book… well, almost use The Book perfectly. Her previous stints with magic seemed to help achieve a better control over The Book …if it didn't try to electrocute her to death. Femi got it to work after struggling for a bit and decided to warp back to Ryn to be safe.

"Everything I saw was absolutely eye-opening for me…" She lifted the large leaf and crawled inside her home. "I know why Joe was so eager to find this book back."

**Joe…**

Femi remembered the anger in Joe's eyes as she ran off with The Book.

"He looked so angry with me…" Femi whispered. Femi wailed, collapsing into a heap on the floor. "How can I face Joe again and hand him his book back? He made up his mind; I am nothing more than a traitor!"

"**Maybe, maybe not…" **Femi got up and wiped her tears away.

"**Joe knows you stole The Book, but he doesn't know your motives…" **

"**Why not elaborate a bit on them?"**

* * *

><p>Joe started hard at the mask in front of him. It was the only salvageable lead from Richard's room. To put pressure on Richard's head injury while Phoebus went to go get a soothsayer, the men used the black cloak. As Richard slipped in and out of consciousness, he kept talking about the "white face" that attacked him. The party ended and Phoebus took the soothsayer home after treating Richard. Richard's sister was kind enough to let Joe sleep in the guestroom but he couldn't sleep. The niggling feeling in his stomach kept bothering him because he knew who took The Book.<p>

It was obvious Femi had stolen The Book. The only lead he had pointed her as the main culprit. In fact, he didn't even know what her facial features looked like. But why would Femi steal The Book?

"Why Femi…?" Joe said to himself. "Why did you steal The Book?"

Joe yawned and stretched. This whole day made him sleepy and he couldn't shake it off. He left the mask on his nightstand, and went to bed.

That night, Joe had a strange dream…

* * *

><p><em>He found himself standing inside a cave filled with round glowing stones. Water dripped from the dark blue stalactites. Joe heard footsteps echo down the corridor from his right. He ducked behind some stalagmites and decided to see who could be walking inside a cave at this time. There, he saw a familiar heard of thick, dark hair in waves and a slim, tanned figure. Under her right arm was The Book.<em>

"_It's Femi!" Joe said to himself. He watched her pass his hiding place and stand in the center of the cavern. She set The Book down and stepped back._

_Joe wondered what she was doing until he saw black sludge oozing out of the cracks on the cave walls. The water dripping from the ceiling turned to black sludge too. The sludge scurried into the center and it started to pile up. To Joe's horror, the sludge started to grow and grow until it grew up to ten feet. It had yellow glowing eyes and a permanent twisted sneer on his face. He looked down at Femi and gave a low chuckle._

"_You do not disappoint, Femi…" He stretched out his arm and put his grimy hand all over The Book. Joe fought the urge to go up and punch him._

"_I hope you didn't have to go through too much trouble. The boy seemed like a nice fellow…"_

"_Master…" she said timidly. "You seem to have forgotten something?"_

"_What?" He looked annoyed that someone was stopping him from smothering The Book._

_Femi got on her hands and kneed and bowed before Sludge Man. "You said if I brought you The Book, you will grant me my part of the deal." She looked up at him, tears shining in her eyes._

"_You really think I'll grant a pathetic slave girl her wish?" He scoffed. "You were thisclose to getting caught, that's some sloppy work you have there!" _

"_But I brought you The Book!" Femi cried. "It's only fair that you keep your part of the deal and free me!"_

"_I just told you to bring me this…" He held up his treasure. "You just had fun with him and carried on, get over it…"_

"_I did everything to make sure you got what you wanted… I threw my friendship away with the only boy who treated me like a human being!" Femi yelled._

"_SILENCE!" Sludge Man boomed and slapped her across the face. Femi fell to the ground holding her bruised cheek._

"_Femi!" Joe screamed and ran after her. Before he could come to her rescue, an invisible wall stopped him. He banged his fists and yelled for Femi to stand up._

_Sludge Man raised his fist and slammed it over her back. She screamed in pain and lay there, crippled. He laughed watching Femi trying to stand up one again but her arms and legs kept giving out. He expanded his hand and wrapped it around her tiny frame. He brought her up to his face and smiled at the unconscious Femi._

"_You've made me angry, Femi… and you know what I do to slaves when they make me lose my temper!" When he shook Femi, her head and legs reminded Joe of a ragdoll. "If this 'Joe' is really your friend, he's come and save you!"_

_The image vanished, and Joe woke up._

* * *

><p>Femi waved the scroll over the dream catcher one last time before it faded out.<p>

**Come tomorrow, and Joe will be ready to save the damsel in distress… but he'll be the one forgetting why he came there in the first place!**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Three more chapter to go guys. As usual, leave a fave and review! :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hey there! Due to the fact that band practice doesn't let out until 6:00 PM for the Mardi Gras trip (and a load of homework to do) AND I leave for New Orleans this Thursday (THOR'S DAY, hehe...), this might be the last update I'll do in a week. Maybe I'll spit another chapter out, but right now, I have fanfics to read.**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

"That's crazy!" Phoebus exclaimed.

"But you haven't listened to what I have to say..." Joe set the mask down between each other.

"What the dream was trying to tell me is that Femi stole _The Book_, because she was trying to buy her freedom from slavery." Joe looked at the white mask again before handing it to Phoebus. "This mask might be a slave mask."

"Nonsense!" Phoebus shook his head. "I never saw a slave mask like that. Are you sure that your dream wasn't just that, a dream?"

"I thought so too." Joe shook his shoulders. "Until I woke up and found this on the pillow next to me…" Joe placed a small brown box on the table and opened it. The box spit out a pile of sludge before it formed into a scroll with a black seal. He opened the scroll and read it out.

"Dear Joseph Arthur, do you remember your little friend, Femi? I currently have her tied up and ready to be executed. You see, I can't get _The Book _to work properly. My slave girl tells me that there might be a ban spell on it and YOU have the reversal spell. Since you care so much about her well-being, let's have a deal. Come to the Calypsian Coast tonight with the reversal spell and I'll spare Femi." The letter slowly morphed back into sludge after Joe was done reading.

"So, your dream wasn't **just **a dream?" Phoebus said, watching the sludge scurry back into the box. "You really have to go to the Calypsian Coast and get Femi. Go ahead and reply back, this is a messenger box. It will record everything you have to say and return it to the sender."

"Whatever happens, I'm not going to give him _The Book_." The box opened again and spat out more sludge. A blank piece of scroll paper formed, along with Joe's sentence 'Whatever happens, I'm not going to give him _The Book_' in fancy writing. "Yeah, he can forget about the ban spell because I'll fight him for _The Book _**and **rescue Femi!"

The paper with Joe's part of the deal was signed. It rolled back into the box and disappeared.

Phoebus stood up and handed Joe a wooden sword and shield. "Outside, now."

Joe held the shield up to his chest and gave Phoebus a blank stare. Phoebus rolled his eyes and got a practice sword for himself. "You said you were going to fight Femi's slave owner, I hope you know how to."

"Well, I'm not THAT good of a fighter." Joe bragged, flexing his "muscles". "My dad took me out of military school because he needed me to work in the family business."

"Let's go and review basic training," Phoebus stepped outside with weapon and shield in hand. "Femi better hope her rescuer will not die trying to save her!"

* * *

><p>"Good to see you're up, Richard!" Phoebus grunted, blocking all of Joe's weak attempts to hit him.<p>

"That soothsayer was a real good one, healing powers and everything!" He leaned against the doorway watching Joe and Phoebus.

"C'mon Joe, you can do it!" Richard cheered, watching Phoebus sparring with Joe. Phoebus blocked Joe's attack with his shield and used his leg to make Joe lose balance. Instead, Joe did a full 360 in the air, before falling flat on his face.

"Okay, I quit. I can't do this…" Joe raised his hand in defeat. Phoebus lifted Joe up and shook his head at him.

"You said you knew how to fight!"

"But not for a long time!" Joe went to pick up his wooden sword. Phoebus disarmed him and held his wooden sword to Joe's throat.

"I've seen former students still remember their training after years of inactivity. You obviously have no training!" Phoebus's ponytail was coming loose, and his curly, silver hair stuck to his sweaty face. "I used to be a fighting instructor at an academy and had the privilege to take in disciples and mentor them. Never look at merchants as 'just' merchants…"

"That's how I met Phoebus, we went to military school together but I wasn't into the bloodshed like he was." said Richard. "I put this practice room out behind my house as a way to stay in shape."

"I was not into bloodshed! I was, and still am, in love with the strategy and cunning of war." Phoebus put his sword down and smiled sheepishly. "And I always wanted to go sightseeing, that too."

"Sorry about this, but it's nice to know you guys have a fighting background to lean on…" Joe pushed the sword away from his neck. "But I have to fight a creature made out of sludge and get Femi if I want to go home soon!"

"Did I miss out on something?" Richard asked Phoebus, confused.

"I'll tell you the rest, but right now, Joe's right. He has no fighting background of any sort and he said he was going to fight him." Phoebus took the shields and wooden swords away from Joe.

"Time and place?"

"Tonight, at the Calypsian Coast; he's holding Femi hostage in one of the caves." Phoebus said.

"We still have a few hours left. Let's plan something inside and we'll take you to the Calypsian Coast, Joe." Richard walked back inside with Phoebus. They were whispering to each other and kept glancing back at Joe.

Joe looked up at the darkening sky. He was nervous, no… in fact, he was scared out of his mind. He said he was going to fight a ten foot creature made out of sludge AND save _The Book _and Femi. He couldn't even hit Phoebus while sparring! Joe took a deep breath and followed Phoebus inside.

* * *

><p>"…<strong>I'll fight him for The Book and rescue Femi!" I read and squealed with glee. "I can't believe it; he's coming to see me!"<strong>

**I danced around the cave in happiness; Joe was willing to put his life in danger to save me. I knew it from the day I looked into his eyes; we were meant to be together. After tonight, he'll forget about leaving Ryn and stay with me!**

"But I thought this was about giving Joe back his book… after all, I don't want him to think of me as a…"

"**A thief?" I rolled my eyes. "Pu-lease, you ARE one! Stop trying to make yourself a victim here. Remember, priorities!" **

"Joe will arrive in a few hours expecting to fight a made-up monster and save me in the process! How are we going to do that if: A, we have no monster and B, I'm not in danger?" Femi pointed out.

"**With this!" I tossed a thick, dusty book with a pure white cover. "Now stop questioning me and trust me on this one!"**

Femi hung her head in defeat. "Fine. I hope this works…"

"**It will." I quipped. I closed my eyes and sighed dreamily. **

**Joe… soon we will be together…**

_**Forever!**_

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><p><strong>AN: The last part of the chapter barley scratches Femi's psyche. I'll let my loyal readers make up their own interpretation on Femi. A review and fave is much appreciated. ;) **


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

"How much longer do we have left to travel?" Joe called out to Phoebus.

"Not much. We're really close!"

Richard folded his arms over his chest and grumbled. He was pretty upset about helping Joe and Phoebus save the same girl who stole and injured him. Phoebus told Richard that he didn't need to go with Joe to rescue Femi; he could stay in the carriage with him.

"Your dream doesn't explain WHY she stole from me." Richard said with a slight edge to his voice.

Joe didn't say anything; he was too busy looking through a satchel Richard gave to him. "I already told you. She was trying to free herself from her master, but she needed my book as some payment." Joe searched around a satchel filled with small bottles, and pieces of paper.

"I thought you said you met her near the marketplace." said Richard. "… and she was dressed like a beggar!"

Joe ignored what Richard had to say and held out a small bottle of grayish liquid. "What's this?"

"Immobilization potion; dump some on the creature and his body will turn to stone. But it only lasts for less than a minute." Richard shot him a nasty look. "Her explanations don't add up!"

"Maybe Femi was forced to search around for _The Book_, that's why she was wandering around for a while." Joe held up a small piece of yellow parchment with a few words scrawled in an unknown language.

"A gravity-defying spell." Richard explained. "You can jump amazing heights and glide in the air with ease. Burn the piece of paper, but be quick. They only last for so long."

"Is everything in this bag on a time limit?" Joe complained.

"These are spells that **anyone **can use; but magicians have an issue letting people of non-magic heritage use spells. So they passed certain laws to make sure more advanced levels of magic were out of reach for everyone else." Richard muttered under his breath. "Snobby elitists jerks…"

"So these are the only spells non-magic people can use?" Joe asked.

"Magicians put limits on things like spells and potions; they can be limits on magic difficulty or time limits, those two are the most common. In this case, I could only find you magic on a time limit…" Richard handed Joe a small pamphlet. "Latin and Greek is the language most spells are written and recited in. Use this as a guide of some sort."

"So putting time and difficulty limits on magic wasn't enough? I can't even read Latin or Greek, let alone speak it!"

Richard shrugged his shoulders and started back at Joe. "What can I say? They **are** snobs." Richard handed Joe a bundle of clothes. "This is for you. The clothes are made of a material designed for battle. They won't be able to hinder you like your Brooklyn outfit."

"We're here!" Phoebus cried out.

Joe had finished tying the laces on his boots when the carriage stopped. Joe stuck his head out and felt the ocean spray hit him on the face. The Calypsian Coast was not as beautiful as Phoebus described. The ocean was a cloudy dark blue and grey, the waves roared as they crashed on the sandy coast, and the wind whipped around them. Joe got out clutching the pamphlet in his hands. Phoebus took out his sword and so did Richard. Richard jabbed Phoebus and handed him a dagger at least ten inches in length.

"You're going to need this more than we do." Phoebus gave the dagger to Joe.

Joe silently took the dagger and tied it between his belts. The clothes were made of some weird material that felt so light; it was almost as if he wasn't wearing anything. There was no time to waste, he straightened himself and made his way into the mouth of the pitch blackness of the cave before him.

"Please, someone help me!" That voice belonged to Femi!

"Femi!" Joe cried out. "Where are you?"

"Help!" She cried; her voice came from the deeper depths of the caves.

"Don't worry, I'll get you outta here before the Sludge Man comes back and finds you missing!" Joe felt a sharp pain on his right side. He doubled over and winced.

Deep laughter within the cave enveloped Joe as his sight started to blur. Black sludge started to run down the walls while a silhouette of a person peered over him; Joe was able to fight the pain back and forced himself to get up and get ready to fight. He quickly dug into his satchel and tossed out some smoke bombs to hide.

"Before I come back? I think you're mistaken Joseph Arthur…" The baritone mocked him.

He lifted his hand; a flashing green light blinded Joe completely and held him in place.

"_Rigéscunt!"_

* * *

><p>The dark green mist surrounding Joe evaporated, leaving him stuck in time and space. Femi lowered both of her hands and shut <em>The Book <em>with her magic. A curl of green mist grabbed Femi's forearm and shocked her with thousands of volts of electricity. She screamed in pain; _The Book _was growing more and more hostile towards her. Every time she happened to be in its presence, it didn't hesitate to harm her physically. Its favorite method way electric shocks; that or it would warp people from different time periods and places and order them to kill her. At first the warriors would look around confused to their new surroundings, but when their eyes settled on Femi, their eyes would grow a bright green and they were slaves to _The Book's _bidding. Femi was able to freeze the first three in time and space. She tossed their bodies into the ocean. By now, the spell should be wearing off… hopefully Joe was still where she left him.

Joe was still there; now, Femi could see that Joe had changed his clothes. He wore brown pants with knee high black boots and green shirtsleeves tucked into his pants and a black belt. He wore a short blue cape with gold designs. He looked more mature and he was obviously quite handsome.

"**I can see that his shirtsleeves show some of his chest…" Giggling and wrapped my arms around Joe. Finally, I had him in my arms, besides me. "Oh Joe, I've waited for this day for so long. I finally found someone who loves me!"**

"**Hurry up and wipe his memory clean!" I barked. **

Femi gazed into Joe's eyes, and found her unable to do the dirty deed. She led Joe here to the caves with the intent of wiping his memory clean, but the guilt was eating her alive. Yes, she really liked Joe but…

"No, I can't…" Femi said.

"**What do you mean, 'no'?"**

"I-I-I have my reasons not to!" Femi stuttered. She fought the urge to hold her body close to Joe's.

"**Last time I remember, you were practically shivering in anticipation on having Joe for yourself! What changed your mind?" I let go of Joe and stalked up to her. **

"It's wrong… I look into his eyes and I just can't go through with it."

"**Liar!" I said and crossed my arms over my chest. "It's more than that." **

Femi kept her eyes to the ground and refused to look up.

"**I see…" My voice tightened. "You don't want to wipe his mind because you're **_**'not that type of girl…'**_**!" I struck a cutesy pose and batted my eyes innocently. "I had to get **_**The Book, **_**I was the one who knocked the guy out for it and I not only gave you the idea for the dream catcher but also executed it!****I'm tired of doing all of the dirty work!" **

"Stop it!" Femi screamed and gripped her head. "I'm nothing like you!"

"**Nothing like me? Femi, YOU are ME! How many times do I have to keep telling you? I'm not just a figment of your imagination… I'm YOU!" I grabbed her by the neck and forced her to look into my eyes. **

"**Denial isn't going to get you anywhere. You're just buying yourself time and I'm running out of patience…" I examined my fingernails before facing her back with a look of disgust on my face. "What else do I have to do so you can stop pushing me away?"**

"Just… please…" Femi said weakly. "Let me speak to him one last time, then you and I can settle our _issues _once and for all…"

"**Fine," I said and let go of her. "But hurry up, that spell won't last forever!"**

Femi slowly walked up to Joe with her head hung low. She looked back into those green eyes of his and sighed softly.

"Joe… it's me, Femi…"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Mardi Gras was a ton of fun, I had a great time with all of my friends. After a week of inactivity, I was able to get this chapter finalized. I'm ready to get started on The Time Warp Divide; I want it to be a piece of work I'm proud of. Remember, a review and fave are much loved! :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Well, this took longer than I expected. I had a bit of a writers black because I didn't know how to end this chapter. I might redo the entire fanfic, but that's stretching it.**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

"I'll understand if you don't want to see me again after the spell wears off…" Femi wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her robes. "In fact, I'm surprised you bothered to come here and save me from… well, nobody actually."

She continued. "Yes, I did steal The Book from you Joe… but I felt as if I had no other way to make you stay before I could tell you…" **(A/N- NEWSFLASH! ABDUCTION DOES NOT EQUAL…Y'know what? I'm not going to say anything…)**

Femi paused, unable to continue speaking to the unresponsive statue in front of her. For a minute, she saw a small glint in Joe's eyes. Crap, the spell was wearing off already… _The Book _knew its new owner anywhere and it must have purposely weakened the spell. Panic rose up though her body, her neck closed up. Now she needed to quicken the pace, Joe would wake up any moment now.

She threw herself onto Joe's body, burring her face into the crook of his neck. "I never meant for any of this to happen, please forgive me."

Her hand gently stroked Joe's face, her gentle gaze bore into Joe's green eyes. "I was to lure you here and clear your memory about The Book so you wouldn't leave for Brooklyn… I couldn't do it. I felt very guilty…"

The figure from the corner of her eye moved restlessly. Femi shot back a glare and turned her attention back to Joe. Her lips brushed over his and for a moment, Femi felt a spark of energy. It wasn't the same type of shocks _The Book _threw at her. It was a sweet sensation, and if she didn't watch herself, she could soon grow too attached to that type of energy.

Her voice lowered to a soft, almost sensual tone.

"But now I must follow orders…" She purred. "I'll remember this moment forever…"

Femi slowly shut her eyes and placed her lips over his. The spark intensified and Femi threw her head back with a small gasp of bliss. She pulled out the glowing dream catcher and held it over Joe. The energy intensified and filled the cave with a blinding light.

"_Mendax recordation!" _

* * *

><p>"He'll come around in ten minutes," The energy surrounding the dream catcher dimmed when she lowered it. "That's more than enough time for you."<p>

"**I know it's enough for me, but is it for you?" The figure in the dark corner called out. "I mean, everything HAS to be perfect." **

Femi shot out an orb of magic to the figure. The figure flipped gracefully out of the way and landed to the left of her. The blast made a hole over several meters wide.

"Keep the past in the past!" Femi's voice sounded nervous. "You already won, so why are you still bringing it up?"

"**I have more important things to do than answer your questions," The figure chuckled and pulled down the hood. "Let's get this over with!" **

Femi held out her hand and out of a dark green mist a silver goblet appeared. The inside of the goblet was filled half-way with a light green liquid inside. The figure reached from the shadows to grab the goblet, but Femi's reflexes were faster.

"If you want to get this over with, I suggest you do things correctly!" Femi scolded. "Now, your goblet please…"

**The figure cursed under their breath before coming out of the shadows. Long, dark wavy hair, full lips, light bronze complexion, the beauty mark below her eye… she was no stranger to Femi…**

**The Femi from the shadows extended her hand and her goblet materialized from a pool of mist. Her goblet was the same as Femi's, except that the liquid in her goblet bubbled violently and red smoke floated from the goblet's edges. A cauldron formed in between the two Femis.**

"**Just like old times, right Femi?" The Shadow Femi prompted.**

Femi didn't say a word and poured her green liquid inside. A sickening green glow filled the cave and Shadow Femi smiled. Femi got on her knees and handed her empty goblet to her other self. Shadow Femi's eyes widen madly. She held the two goblets above the cauldron and watched as they started to emit a red light.

"**If you would let me do the honors, Femi…" Shadow Femi cleared her throat. **

_Though an impulsive decision_

_She begged and pleaded for,_

_One became Two_

_And Two will become One._

_For now she can no longer dominate_

_Her once proud role_

_Step aside Fool, and let this One take control!_

Shadow Femi threw Femi's goblet into the swirling concoction and watched as it burst into flames. Femi screamed in pain and fell to the ground, her body withering and thrashing around as if it were set aflame.

'**Don't worry Femi; the pain will soon be over." Shadow Femi said in a mock reassuring voice. "Now you know what it feels like to have a piece of your soul unwillingly bound to an object like I was forced to…"**

The goblet finished sinking to the bottom of the cauldron. On cue, an evil-looking ax appeared in Shadow Femi's hands. She was ready, it was time to make sure that pathetic Femi would pay for having her chained up to that barren wasteland for eternity.

"**It's my turn to take control Femi!" Shadow Femi said with glee and hacked Femi's chest with the ax. **

* * *

><p>"Femi? Femi!" A far away voice called to Femi.<p>

Femi slowly, but painfully opened her eyes to see Joe standing above her with bandages in his hand. He helped her sit up by wrapping an arm around her shoulders. _The Book _was safely tucked inside his satchel, back into the hands of its rightful owner.

"Joe," she said softly. "You came for me?"

"Of course! You'd think I'd let a friend of mine in danger?" Joe smiled.

Femi gave a small smile as well. She placed her head on his chest and shut her eyes tightly. "I never doubted you, Joe. That's all you need to know."

Joe ran his fingers gently over the burn marks on her arms. "That jerk held you in front of me and threatened to hurt you if I tried to attack him. He started burning you and you fell unconscious after he did it the first few times."

"_He doesn't know that the memories are false…" _Femi thought to herself. She wrapped her arms tighter around Joe.

"Please stop, I don't want to remember anything about it!" She gazed into his eyes. "Let's leave this place and never come back."

Joe picked Femi up bridal style and the two walked out of the dark and into a new bright beginning for the both of them.

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><p><strong>AN: One more chapter left and this story is done! I have another TWT fanfic idea in the works. FYI, it won't be Canon to my series, just an idea I wanted to use in-series, but didn't know how to execute it. A review and constructive criticism is always welcome. **


	12. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Phoebus and Richard rushed up to Joe after he walked out of the cave, carrying a girl his age in his arms. She was a pretty girl with long dark hair and lightly tanned skin.

"Who is she?" Phoebus asked, while peering down at Femi.

"That's Femi, the slave girl." Joe set Femi down and stroked her hair affectionately.

"She's been badly burnt by Sludge Man," Phoebus's head snapped in Richard's direction. "Richard, go get me the medical kit!"

Richard came back with the supplies and Phoebus and Joe got to work. The whole time, Richard would not stop glaring in Femi's direction and he refused to make small talk with her. After applying the ointment and the gauze, Joe and Phoebus put the material away.

"Femi, I have a question to ask," Phoebus broke the ice. "How old are you?"

"I'll barley turned fourteen two weeks ago." Femi said, with a slight smile on her face.

"Congratulations!" Phoebus shook her hand. "Oh! Excuse me; you probably don't know who I am! I'm Phoebus, merchant extraordinaire and Joe's friend!"

"That's Richard, my best friend!" He pointed to Richard. Richard frowned at Phoebus and walked away from his spot.

Femi's hurt expression sent flashes to Phoebus's mind and he quickly blurted out an excuse. "You'll have to forgive Richard; he's still a bit hurt about the attack."

"If anything, **I** should be sorry." Femi put her hand over her bandaged up arm. "I vandalized his property and harmed him. I'm glad he won't press charges."

"We'll see about that!" Richard yelled from the carriage. He didn't sound playful.

Phoebus chuckled nervously. "He's just playing with you!" Phoebus whispered to her.

"_I hope!" _Joe whispered back.

"Joe, help me carry Femi back to the carriage." Phoebus put his hands under Femi's armpits and Joe grabbed her by the ankles. They lifted Femi up and carried her back to the carriage. Richard was there, with the meanest look on his face.

"Hello Richard!" Femi greeted.

Richard waved at her dismissively and got out of the carriage. As he bumped his shoulder on Phoebus's, Joe heard him grumbling and cursing under his breath. Phoebus eyes him with a "_go and try to cool him down before we leave._" look. He turned his attention back to Femi. Joe ran after Richard until he stopped at the coast. The sun was setting and an orange glow filled the place.

"Did you see that way he looked at her?" Richard said to no one in particular. Joe stayed silent; he knew whom Richard was talking about.

"First she steals from me and now she wants to play the victim?" His voice rose. "She can try to talk to me all she wants, I'm not talking to that con artist!"

"Femi is not trying to con your friend." Joe said. "Besides, Phoebus is only making sure Femi's okay. Her owner put her though some serious physical torture. He burned her when I attempted to free her!"

"Well, we better go and check up on them now. I bet she's trying to convince him to let her stay at his newly furnished villa." Richard said a little grudgingly. "Did you get your book back?"

"Yup!" Joe took _The Book _out of the satchel and handed the bag back. "These spells really work, thanks!"

"No problem!" The edges of Richard's lips turned upwards until he heard Femi and Phoebus laughing and giggling together. Femi was sitting next to Phoebus and the two talked as if they haven't seen each other in ages.

"Joe!" Femi called out to him and waved. Joe waved back.

"You'll never guess what happened!" Femi yelled. "Phoebus is letting me stay with him in his villa! Isn't that so generous of him?"

"Oh, the little manipulative–"Joe pinched his arm and Richard yelped in pain.

"That's great," Joe smiled up at her. "I guess you finally found a place you can call home, right Femi?"

Femi nodded in return. "I can't wait for you to visit Phoebus's villa!"

"Gee, I wish I could," Joe said. "But I have to go home now."

"Doesn't your grandfather need to put his name in your book? I hope you make it on time!" said Phoebus.

"What grandfather?" Joe asked and then mentally slapped himself. "Oops, I mean… Duh! With all of that drama unfolding, I almost forgot that I have to go see him!"

"Goodbye, Joe!" Phoebus and Femi waved goodbye as Joe opened _The Book_.

For the first time ever, Joe warped himself smoothly back home.

* * *

><p>"I hope one day he'll come back and visit us." Femi's voice sounded a bit sad. "He was so brave to rescue me."<p>

"I hope so too, Femi." Phoebus agreed. He tugged at the reigns and the Lanus started down the road again.

"_Joe," _She thought to herself._ "We may have parted our own ways, but I'll find you someday…"_

She leaned her head onto Phoebus's shoulder. Phoebus turned his head to Femi with a look of concern on his face. She looped her arms around his and mumbled. "Sorry, I'm just so tired. Do you mind?"

Phoebus smiled a little. "No, of course not. When we arrive back at my villa, I'll go and get you a soothsayer."

"That's good…" Femi said to herself.

With her free hand, she reached over Phoebus's belt and took her prize. A small bag on money. Stealthy, she hit it under her tattered robes before acting tired all over again.

"_For now, I guess Phoebus will have to do…"_

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><p><strong>AN: And with that, the first - of hopefully many stories in my new Time Warp Trio series - is complete! I have two more stories on deck, one is Time Warp Divide and the other is a non-canon story I wrote when I was younger. Reviews and constructive criticism and commentary are appreciated! Thank you so much for all of the reviews! :)**


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